DRAWING TECHNIQUE "SCRATCH"

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Grattazh is an unusual drawing technique. Not even drawing, but scratching the elements of the picture. As a rule, grattage is performed in black and white, but you can also experiment with the color of the picture or background!
To make a drawing using the scratching technique, you will need:
White cardboard
Oil pastel white,
Black gouache
Wide brush
Liquid soap,
Carbon paper,
Pencil,
Pointy skewer.
So, using white oil pastel, we cover a sheet of cardboard with a thick wax layer. Oil pastels can be replaced with wax crayons or a candle. I tried to use cardboard glossy and matte. I liked the result more on glossy.

Mix black gouache with a small amount of liquid soap, as you actually have to paint on the wax layer. Soap can be replaced with dishwashing liquid, shower gel or shampoo. Only one drop is required. Water is needed only to moisten the brush before starting work.
We cover the cardboard with a layer of gouache so that there are no gaps. If you have added soap, they should not be.

Make sure that the paint layer is evenly distributed. Diluted with water, gouache dries quickly.

We continue to work only with fully dried cardboard. We transfer a suitable picture to a dark background with the help of a carbon paper or just draw with a sharp pencil on dried gouache. Neither in the first nor in the second case can you put much pressure on the pencil, otherwise scratching will begin already at the stage of drawing.

When the drawing is applied, with a sharp skewer (can be replaced with a toothpick) we scratch the lines to white cardboard. There are many scratching techniques: strokes, scrubbed pieces ... I used the simplest option - scratching lines.